Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-12

DiHtG WIN tliOONt w Nifflih Nbtt bANhNi'
on the device will see the perfect model
Of q modern perfecting printing-press,
which will throw off as souvenirs copies
of newspaper. The manufacturers
will derive income from the nickels,
from the royalty paid by the news
papers advertised, or from certain
firms whose advertisements appear in
the souvenirs.
In addition to these toys are the ma
chimes made by New York firm, which
gather in the nickels at a surprising
rate in much-frequented resorts. One
of these gives the depositor of a nickel
a shock of electricity, and another
shows him his weight. One of the most
popular inventions in this line is alittle
apparatus which, when nickel is
dropped into it, throws out a recepta-
bic and presents the donor of the five
cent piece with package of candy.
The stock Of the company making
these machines last mentioned is so
greedily taken up that none is on the
market. Branch corporations for in
Producing their nickel-collectors in Eu-
rope are to be organized.
The New England Yankee inventor
who first originated the idea is making
q miniature race-course for sporting re-
sorts. Several little horses run about a
circular hurdle track so constructed
that no one can tell which horse will
win. The toy will give betting men a
chance to wager their money on the
miniature horses and the owner of the
invention a handsome income from the
nickels of the betteTs.
CONDENSED LIGHTNING.
In the basement of Broadway, at the
corner of John street, is circular iron
plate on whose surface raised-letters in
dicate that it belongs to Mr.. Thomas A.
Edison, Americas greatest inventor.
Every other evening about s o'clock
after the busy thorenghfare has been
deserted by every son of toll, except
ing it may be the thirsty trampand the
thirstier policeman, an intelligent, neat
addressed man carrying medium
sized box, energies from the dusk and
stops at the plate. From the box he
draws singular-looking rug about two
feet square and four inches thick, com
posed of looselv-wound and more loose
| ly-woven cotton-wick. On this he
kneels, and then, with queer as
sortment of cold-chisels, cleaners,
jimmies, and wrenches, removes
The plate after much toll from
the metal frame i'll which il
was so firmly set, Beneath is large
square chamber, whose walls and floor
st EN- to be incrusted metal. Near
both top and bottom are ponderous
rings of polished copper, separated
and held in place by unacceptable
pads and washers of some dark sub
stance that looks like silky India rub
her. From each ring wires radiate,
passing through the walls of the cham
Der and losing themselves in the earth
below the pavement. The man gloves
lis hand with n rubber glove and works
few minutes with the complicated at
tachments. here removing a piece,
there tightening q screw, here changing
the position of wire, and there IN
setting an insulator. As he paused |
asked him which of the many electric
systems begotten in MEMO Park ne
was engaged upon.
This time upon the Edison illumi-
mating, t ough | superintend several
others and frequently am called in to
consult upon electrical matters 10y out
side concerns. Tonight | am testing
and regulating
"Why do you take so many precau-
tions ?"
Partly for my own safety and part
" for the sake OF doing firstclass work.
You see there is a current moving
through those two mains. as we call
them. that could kill 100, 900 men in an
instant. If, through carelessness, l
rutmyself in its way and got its full force
that would be the last Of ne. 4 year
ago was little thoughtless or clumsy,
and slightly grounded the negative
main. That is, l touched that upper
ring of copper when one knee was on
the bare paving-stone. Here's what
the current did" He rolled up his
coat and shirt-sleeve, and dis
PLAYED a muscular arm that looked
as if il had been engraved with a
chisel, and then eaten with nitric acid
to produce an etching plate. " | was
in the hospital over a month for that,
and it was so tough lesson that
III never forget it. III show you how
strong that current is. He took a
broken pair of fine pliers, and holding
them with a cleft piece of BOD touched
one end to the upper copper ring and
/ one TO the steel cover rim. In an IN
slant the gray metal broke into spark;
and flame. He removed it with the re
mark That current would burn up 8
crowbar or lamp-post if it were pro
pe1ly directed.
is there much danger
BEHAVING BADLY.
There used to be, but il grow:
smaller every day as we know more
about handling electricity. It's like q
horse sometimes that runs away. il
will Get into railroad tracks and knock
a horse over and sometimes kill the ami
nal. Sometimes it leaks out of the
wires and gets into a water or steam.
pipe and then paralyzes some of these
Italians you see digging up the street.
nowadays. They think it is the devil
and hold prayer-meeting. Sometime:
it gets us boys. Down in Wall street
one day the lights were behaving badly
and / went down to see what
was the matter. Everything was
all right inside the offices, and
so | went out in the street to
see If there was leak or a bad wire.
1t was raining a little, just drizzle: !
put my hand on the plate-glass window
andI was knocked down just as clean
ss if Sullivan had done the job. You
see the wire leaked just over the win
dow, and the layer of rain on the glass,
along with the gold lettering, made a
good conductor, and l got the benefit
of the Job. / was sore the next three
days, but 1 fixed it up all the same as
If nothing had happened. We hate to
let on to outsiders when We get caught
ourselves. 1t doesn't look professional
and they always guy u.s..
"Do your wires perform any work
beyond illuminating?"
Il.